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[eloquentness]

[ The feed opens up to a young woman sitting behind the counter of a flower shop. Several flower arrangements are lined up behind her, some more artfully arranged - and frankly, more gorgeous - than others.

(They're works in progress, okay?) On the bright side, she's sticking to safe combinations or single-flower bouquets, rather than branching out. ]

Hey, everyone. [ She beams into the camera; first impressions matter, after all. ] I've gotta ask, especially if you've been here a while: what's one thing you wish you'd known when you first got here?

I'm no stranger to parallel universes - trust me, living in Central City will do that to you - but it's still kind of surreal, you know? This doesn't have to be anything life-changing. It can be something small like, oh... I don't know, your new favorite coffee place?

Comments

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[cleptes]

How to control new abilities that I didn't have before.

[ A less serious reply would be a map to all of the best wine bars but Bela is going to be serious this time. ]

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[eloquentness]

Yeah, a pamphlet on them would've been nice. [ No arguments here! ] How'd you end up controlling yours? Trial and error?

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[clobbers]

How many versions of me have actually been here. Which is to say a few.

( That's Iris all right; but Kara has no idea if she remembers her or not, so she opts to smile brightly at her. )

And hey! It's been a while since I've visited Central City. How's everything?

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[eloquentness]

Sounds like you're pretty popular around the multiverse.

[ Iris doesn't envy her, though – that sounds like a headache. ]

It's good? I guess? [ She laughs, her expression growing apologetic, ] I'm sorry, I feel like I should know you.

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[lightinside]

[ Oh, hi! Someone that Laurel is familiar with. ]

You're Joe West's daughter, right? Iris? [ A smile. ] I'm Laurel Lance.

In answer to your question, I'm not that sure. I've seen some strange things in Star City.

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[eloquentness]

[ Laurel Lance from Star City... like Detective Lance's kid? The one who passed away? Time really does work weird here. Iris draws in a breath, furrowing her brow. ]

Um, yeah. [ She swallows, forcing a nervous smile. She can do this. She's seen way stranger. ] It's nice to meet you, Laurel.

Now I guess the real question is: is your new city just as strange as Star City?

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[picksthenames]

[ More familiar faces! Cisco is happy for Barry's sake that Iris is here, but not that pleased to see another friend trapped here. ]

There's no place as good as Jitters, I can tell you that much right off the bat.

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[eloquentness]

Cisco!!

[ oh thank god, she's not the only one from home in this strand new world. ]

Well, luckily for you, I can bring you a fresh cup anytime you want.

[video]

[glassfall]

I really wish I'd known about dishwashers.

[The lack of corsets is also good, but her dislike of washing dishes outweighs her wish to not be slightly crushed at all times.]

[video]

[eloquentness]

Really. [ Now that's a remark she hadn't expected to hear. ] Were they not a thing for you back home?

Video; id: Mick Rory

[pyrogue]

[ He's bald and has a heat theme and almost, vaguely looks like another Mick Rory but doesn't look quite like him either. He's smiling in a friendly way, at least. ]

You're from Central? Which one?

[ She did say she wasn't a stranger to parallel universes so he might as well ask. ]

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[eloquentness]

[ The ID says Mick Rory, but this sure isn't the one she knows of. Iris tilts her head thoughtfully. ]

Yeah. I call mine Earth-1, but I'm not sure if that's official or just what - ["Cisco"] a friend uses.

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[knaval]

What's coffee?

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[eloquentness]

[ Whoa. Hello, non-human dude, give Iris a second to adjust - ]

Coffee's the best thing known to man. [ She pauses, holding out her hand and summoning a mug from thin air. She'll hold it out to show a cup of freshly-brewed coffee. ] Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but it's a drink made from roasted coffee beans. It gets strong, so most people take it with milk or sugar.

[lasersounds]

A crash course on my new abilities would have been nice.

Making friends with your roommates is not easy when you turn the place into a giant walk-in freezer on accident.

[eloquentness]

[ ouch. ]

Ooh, yeah. I can't imagine they were totally chill about it.

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[aboveand]

My questions are ones that I still have to be honest: why me, and why did they give my dog powers?

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[eloquentness]

They didn't. [ She bites on her lip to keep from laughing. It's not unreasonable, given Grodd's entire existence, but she can't say she's heard anything like it before. ] Like... both you and your dog came through the porters, but only your dog was affected?

How does that work?

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[flowerette]

I like your flowers.

[ OF COURSE that's what Raina focuses on first. ]

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[eloquentness]

Aw, thank you! [ That is quite possibly the best compliment she's gotten all week. ] Honestly, I don't know the first thing about arrangements, but I don't want to let the owners down.

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[fistofthejoestar]

I doubt many other people have suffered through the same problem, but I do wish I'd known how to use my appliances from the start. It would have saved me a great deal of wasted food.

[but the year was 1889 at home before he was brought here, and Jonathan knows few people are from so far back these days. still, it makes for an amusing anecdote.]

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[eloquentness]

[ oh no... that's kind of cute, though! Iris laughs, trying (unsuccessfully) to muffle it with her hand. ]

Still! It was a problem for you, so it counts.... and it makes me think they really need a "welcome to the 21st century" pamphlet.

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[catchacold]

How easy it is to make money. I'd have moved to my own place so much sooner.

[Hi, by the way. Since second impressions matter too, he's just about smiling. Close enough.]

This place could definitely use some decent journalism.

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[eloquentness]

Better later than never.

[ Iris raises her eyebrows. It's not too hard to guess what he might mean, if he still takes on the same kinds of jobs she remembers, and well? She'll take her financial chances with the flowers. ]

Now that may have to wait a while. [ If the bouquets didn't make it abundantly obvious: ] Turns out, I get to build my entire career from the ground up again.

VIDEO.

[accelerate]

[ barry's supposed to be working, but what's work these days? being an assistant to an awesome game is a lot of fun, but it doesn't give him the adrenaline rush being the flash does. he doesn't think about it; without caitlin and wells and joe and iris here, it's easy for him to slip back into those sloth-like ways he'd adopted in flashpoint. ]

[ this city doesn't need him. but it seems like the city has realised what he needs. ]

[ he slows to a very casual pace for himself. clicking his phone on and allowing it to be video, he can be seen walking down a street. he's not in flash gear, and he doesn't move at the pace of a lightning bolt. but what does appear quickly is his smile — and he does his best not to smile, but that big beam shines so brightly iris may need some sunglasses. ]

I'd get a watch that's a couple of hours early. [ he presses a hand to his chest. ] It's not for me. It's for my best friend. She's a little late. [ and he taps his wrist where his thick watch rests. ]

VIDEO.

[eloquentness]

[ No way.

Iris should've guessed that Barry wasn't far. Wherever he went, she usually wasn't far behind... and vice-versa. No matter the universe, no matter the odds placed against them, they would always find their way back to each other. (Even if she's later than she anticipated.) A sudden wave of relief washes over her at once as she returns that smile. She'd missed this dork far more than she had realized. ]

Come on. I show up late once and now I'm the one who needs a watch? [ She laughs, raising her eyebrows in slight amusement. ] Just how late am I?

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[storyseeker]

Brands aren't all the same. Something about the different history must have changed manufacturing processes or something. It's a little thing, but when your favorite breakfast cereal from childhood tastes wrong, it sucks.

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[eloquentness]

Good to know. I haven't tried my favorite yet, but it sounds like it would be a terrible betrayal.

[ And an unexpected one, too. ]

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[siriusly]

Aa...Maps would've been nice at the get-go. There was just a lot of lost wandering around at the start... [slight beat. sheepish:] There's still some of that, ha.

And the public transportation isn't the same everywhere you go, which is kind of strange.

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[eloquentness]

Aw, yeah. I know my phone GPS saved me more often than not. [ Her voice is apologetic, ] I don't know how to get it on this thing, but it's never fun being lost.

America was like that back home. Some places were really good, others... well, you needed a car or you couldn't get anywhere.

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[soldierman]

That two years have passed since I've died and now I need to act as though nothing happened.

[ I mean, it's true. He does look pretty frustrated and anxious just by the thought of it, though. A brief moment of awkward silence hangs in the air, and then his expression crumples into obvious regret. ]

Sorry. It was the first thing that sprung to mind.

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[eloquentness]

No, no.... [ Iris shakes her head, her expression crumbling at the very thought of what he's lived through. ] Don't worry about it.

I'm sorry that you've had to deal with so much. No one can blame you for feeling the way you do.

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[puppydoctor]

How to get a job outside my field.

[Eleven years of his life back home, all dedicated to medicine - and it means nothing here, without having finished a residency. But still, he doesn't seem super bummed about it. Having a regular 9-5 gig does come with its benefits.]

Florist by choice, or assignment?

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[eloquentness]

[ Now this is incredibly relevant. Iris sits up straighter. ]

Assignment. I'd say "unfortunately," but it's steady work. I can't turn it down until I bulk up my CV, let alone establish a social media presence and... you know, lay down all of that groundwork again.